How Much Does Pharmacist Earn In South Africa

A pharmacist, also known as a chemist or a druggist, is a health professional who specializes in the preparation, properties, effects and use of medicines. The pharmacist provides pharmaceutical care to patients, as well as basic primary health care services.

Below are salaries earn by Pharmacist In South Africa

A person working as a Pharmacist in South Africa typically earns around 43,200 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 21,200 ZAR (lowest) to 67,400 ZAR (highest).

This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Pharmacist salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.

Pharmacist Salary Distribution in South Africa

The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range

Salary Range

Pharmacist salaries in South Africa range from 21,200 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 67,400 ZAR per month (maximum salary).

Median Salary

The median salary is 44,100 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 44,100 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 44,100 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

Percentiles

Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 29,400 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 29,400 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Pharmacist(s) are earning less than 56,800 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 56,800 ZAR.

Pharmacist Salary Comparison by Years of Experience

How does experience and age affect your pay?

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Pharmacist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.

A Pharmacist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 25,100 ZAR per month.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 32,300 ZAR per month, 29% more than someone with less than two year’s experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 44,500 ZAR per month, 38% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, Pharmacist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 55,100 ZAR per month, 24% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 59,100 ZAR per month, 7% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 63,000 ZAR per month, 7% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

Pharmacist average salary change by experience in South Africa

0 – 2 Years25,100 ZAR
2 – 5 Years+29%32,300 ZAR
5 – 10 Years+38%44,500 ZAR
10 – 15 Years+24%55,100 ZAR
15 – 20 Years+7%59,100 ZAR
20+ Years+7%63,000 ZAR

Pharmacist Salary Comparison By Education

We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Pharmacist salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.

When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of a Pharmacist is 31,300 ZAR per month.

While someone with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 50,300 ZAR per month, 60% more than someone having a Bachelor’s Degree degree.

Pharmacist average salary difference by education level in South Africa

Bachelor’s Degree31,300 ZAR
Master’s Degree+60%50,300 ZAR

Pharmacist Salary Comparison By Gender

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Pharmacist employees in South Africa earn 8% more than their female counterparts on average.

Male44,600 ZAR
Female-7%41,300 ZAR

Pharmacist Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa

How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Pharmacist(s)?

How often do employees get salary raises?

Pharmacist

Pharmacist(s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 11% every 19 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Pharmacist Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?

A Pharmacist is considered to be a moderate bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.

44% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 56% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
56%

No Bonus
44%

Pharmacist Average Hourly Wage in South Africa

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 250 ZAR. This means that the average Pharmacist in South Africa earns approximately 250 ZAR for every worked hour.

How much is a pharmacist paid in South Africa?

The average pharmacist salary in South Africa is R 628 500 per year or R 322 per hour. Entry-level positions start at R 459 000 per year, while most experienced workers make up to R 8 057 403 per year.

How much do pharmacist earn in clicks in South Africa?

Pharmacist Salaries

Job TitleSalary
Clicks Group Pharmacist salaries – 1 salaries reportedZAR 469,531/yr
Clicks Group Pharmacist salaries – 1 salaries reportedZAR 364,513/mo
Not Applicable Pharmacist salaries – 1 salaries reportedZAR 25,205/mo
Government of South Africa Pharmacist salaries – 1 salaries reportedZAR 32,254/mo

How much do Dischem pharmacist earn in South Africa?

An early career Pharmacist with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of R449,190 based on 7 salaries. An experienced Pharmacist with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R504,000 based on 5 salaries.

How much does a pharmacist intern earn in South Africa?

An entry-level Pharmacy Intern with less than 1 year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of R217,500 based on 15 salaries. An early career Pharmacy Intern with 1-4 years of experience earns an average total compensation of R157,643 based on 14 salaries.

What subjects are needed to become a pharmacist in South Africa?

While the entrance requirements vary between different educational institutions typical requirements include a National Senior Certificate with English, Mathematics, Physical Science and Life Sciences. Computer Literacy is recommended if you want to enrol for a pharmacy course.

How much does a Post Basic Pharmacist Assistant earn in South Africa?

A Post-Basic Pharmacist Assistant with 4-9 years of experience earns an average salary of R 16 000, while an experienced Pharmacist Assistant with 10-20 years of experience makes on average R 20 000. Pharmacist’s Assistants with more than 20 years of experience may earn more than R 22 000 a month.